Govt. official gets two-year jail term for taking bribe

A Shivamogga court, on Thursday, convicted a government official for accepting a bribe and sentenced him to two years’ imprisonment, besides imposing a fine of ₹30,000.

Lokayukta officials trapped A.K. Kantharaj, an accountant assistant in the office of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar Development Corporation in Shivamogga, while he was accepting a bribe of ₹10,000.

The accused had demanded that Anjinappa K. of Kudligere in Bhadravathi taluk pay a bribe of ₹15,000 to hand over a cheque for ₹3.5 lakh — the loan sanctioned by the corporation to set up an areca plate manufacturing unit. Anjinappa, unwilling to pay the bribe, filed a complaint with the Lokayukta police, who trapped the official while he was accepting the bribe on July 7, 2017.

Lokayukta Inspector A. Chandrappa filed the charge sheet. M.D. Sundar Raj, government advocate, represented the prosecution.